A lead and character player, he began his acting career on the radio serial Our Miss Brooks (1948–56) and later starred in the TV series The Real McCoys (1957–63) and Slattery's People (1964–65). His movies include Wait Until Dark (1967), Breakheart Pass (1975), Body Heat (1981), The Flamingo Kid (1984), Hot Shots! Part Deux (1993), Jade (1995), and To Serve and Protect (1999).